'Inappropriate' and 'Upsetting': Veteran councillor criticizes Ottawa mayor's calls to open Queen Elizabeth Driveway to vehicles

A veteran Ottawa councillor is pedalling into the debate over the National Capital Commission closing Queen Elizabeth Driveway for active transportation this summer, saying, "it is inappropriate" for Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to publicly and privately call on the NCC to open the road to vehicles every day.

Sutcliffe sparked a debate last week when he said he would like to see the NCC open the road along the Rideau Canal to vehicles because of the traffic impacts and few people using Queen Elizabeth Driveway for active transportation.

"I'm continuing to appeal to the NCC to recognize the traffic consequences that result from closing a road," Sutcliffe told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal last Tuesday.

"There are already, in my view, great places to run and bike along Queen Elizabeth Drive. There's a fantastic pathway right by the water, which I use all the time, and when I'm on that path and the road is closed, I don't see a lot of cyclists and walkers and runners using the road.

"I don't know that we're getting as much benefit as perhaps the NCC hoped from that, and in the meantime it's creating a lot of traffic pressures."

Now, Coun. Jeff Leiper is criticizing Sutcliffe for advocating for the NCC to scale back the active transportation program along Queen Elizabeth Driveway.

"It needs to be clarified that your stated views are not Ottawa City Council policy," Leiper said in a letter to Sutcliffe Saturday night."

"It is inappropriate that you would use your platform as Mayor and Board membership to advocate behind closed doors for such a regressive position."

"It is particularly upsetting that the Mayor of our city would advocate to reverse a real safety gain – of which we have made too few - for residents who travel by active modes."

Sutcliffe is a non-voting member of the NCC's Board of Directors.

The National Capital Commission's Queen Elizabeth Driveway active use program sees the two-lane road open for active transportation, between Fifth Avenue and Somerset Street, daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the summer. The road is closed to vehicles on weekends and holidays from May 13 to June 25 and Sept. 9 to Thanksgiving Monday.

There have been nearly 50,000 visits to Queen Elizabeth Driveway since May, according to the NCC. The NCC is currently conducting a survey to gather feedback for the future of the program.

"Suggesting that residents who travel by foot, on bike and using mobility devices share very crowded Canal paths in order to make connections between neighbourhoods is not a solution as we seek to facilitate sustainable transportation options in an intensifying city," Leiper said in the letter.

"As we see too often, asking cyclists to share the road with motor vehicles is equally unsustainable."

Leiper says he copied NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum on the letter, "to ensure that he is aware that Ottawa City Council has not taken a position on opposing the leadership the NCC has shown in the case of Queen Elizabeth Driveway."

The NCC launched the Queen Elizabeth Driveway active transportation program during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  Earlier this year, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group CEO Mark Goudie said he had seen documents suggesting the NCC planned to permanently close Queen Elizabeth Driveway to vehicles in the future, though the NCC said no decisions on the future of the road beyond 2023 had been made.

Sutcliffe said last week he has raised concerns with the NCC about the traffic consequences resulting from closing the road.

“I would like to see it open more often than what the NCC is proposing because it has huge traffic impacts. By my observations, I am not sure how necessary it is; there are great pathways on both sides of the canal," Sutcliffe said after Wednesday's Council meeting.

Sutcliffe says he is "not against active transportation", but is concerned about the number of roads closed to vehicles.

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster is a supporter of the NCC's active use program, but wants to see solutions for construction and major events in the area.

"I am a big fan of the NCC's decision to reserve the QED for active use. It's rare to have that kind of freedom to walk and cycle safely. Feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly positive," Troster said on Twitter.

"That said: we need a solution for when there is major construction nearby or the closure of other surrounding roads for specific periods of time. Negotiating with the NCC is the best solution in those scenarios."

The NCC suspended the Queen Elizabeth Driveway active use program this weekend due to the construction on the Queensway and events at Lansdowne Park. Queen Elizabeth Driveway has been opened to vehicles this summer to allow vehicles and buses to travel to Lansdowne for football and soccer games.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the NCC said it was "proud to provide safe, accessible, and unique active use experiences throughout the capital."

It added the program takes place on "roadways that were always intended to serve as scenic routes, not commuter roadways."

Leiper tells Sutcliffe that he would "welcome a discussion" on the future of active transportation programs like the closure of Queen Elizabeth Driveway, "that is evidence-based and transparent to chart a path forward."

"Many residents and community leaders are prepared to engage in a discussion about how we can achieve the aims of our Transportation Master Plan and help residents who make sustainable choices or who cannot drive be safe going about their daily movements," Leiper said.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque and Ted Raymond